Conventional fencing for containing animals often has a structure that prevents animals from escaping human control. Conventional fencing typically includes posts attached vertically to a surface and rails, chain-linking, or netting connected between the posts.
While some types of conventional fencing may have sturdy construction, and while strong materials may be used to construct a conventional fence, conventional fencing fails to provide strength and resiliency along with safety for the animals contained within the fence. Moreover, conventional fencing fails to provide safety to humans using the fence.
Animals contained within conventional fencing often brush against or collide with the conventional fencing, which may cause injury to the animal or damage the fence. In addition, conventional fencing may be hazardous to animals due to parts of the fence that have sharp or angled edges. The materials used to construct conventional fencing often splinter or fray, which may cut, abrade, puncture, or even ensnare animals that encounter the conventional fencing.
If an animal collides with a conventional fence, the fence may injure or even kill the animal upon impact. In addition, a damaged or destroyed conventional fence will often produce dangerous fragmentation that may further injure animals or people encountering the fence.
Conventional fencing does not safely yield to an impact. Often the fence will only partially yield to an impact from an animal, and the animal, or the animal and its rider will be injured or killed. For example, if a person riding a horse either loses control of the horse or guides the horse into a conventional fence, the horse and rider will likely be injured or killed by the impact, since the conventional fence would be incapable of safely yielding to the impact. Such an impact with a conventional fence may cause trauma to the horse and rider. The conventional fence may remain intact and fail to yield to the impact. The conventional fence may dangerously disintegrate into sharp fragments upon impact, which may injure or kill an animal or human. In addition, a human riding a horse, bull, or other large animal may be thrown from the animal, especially during competitions, and if the animal or human collides with a conventional fence, injury or death may occur. In the event that the rider is thrown from the large animal, the human may impact the conventional fence and be severely injured or killed due to the impact, and the animal may uncontrollably impact the fence, resulting in the injury or death of the animal.
In addition, conventional fencing is often used in competitions where animals jump the fencing as part of an obstacle course. Some competitions may involve large animals with human riders that guide or force the animals to jump the fence. Other competitions may involve small animals trained to jump fences or small animals that are guided and forced to jump over the fencing. In these competitions, the conventional fencing presents hazards if the animal impacts the fence, which may cause injury or death of the animal or a human rider.
It is noted that Larkins et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0308293, discloses that a railing system, and more specifically a modular, stainless steel railing system, includes posts that secure to a mounting surface, rails that extend between the posts, coupling members for attaching the rails to the posts, and optionally a rail cap. In one embodiment disclosed in Larkins et al., the coupling members may take the form of a dowel or pin having an externally threaded portion that is threadably connected to the posts and another portion, either threaded or non-threaded, that is slidably received into the rails. In another embodiment disclosed in Larkins et al., the coupling members may take the form of sleeves inserted into the rails and mechanically attached thereto. Once attached to the rails, the sleeves are engaged by fasteners that extend through the post and operate to urge the rail and the post into close contact.
However, it is noted that Larkins et al. fails to disclose a fence or railing that protects an animal or human from injury caused from the impact with the fence or railing.